Changing Pool Pump to Tarriff 33

[muzza01]

Say you always were ahead with the solar, wouldn't the credit get higher and higher ? Say after 4 yrs the credit was $2,000....you wouldn't ever reap the dollars being made ? Sure, the elect bill would be zero, but you wouldn't get paid for the extra solar ?

Nope. I only have a 2.75kw system son I chew meow than I generate.  Last bill was a good one for me and better than average.  Total bill $546.38 less solar $461.56, other charges $8.62 my payable amount $93.44.  average bills before solar was anywhere from$750-$900 and that was quite a few years ago now. Power has got more expensive since then.

Not only have I saved $460 I have saved a lot more when you consider the money in credit is only excess wattage.  Running things like fridges, freezers, pool and whatever else is heavily subsidised by whatever power is generated during the day.

[jwb]

I think at some point you have to ask your retailer for a cheque or bank deposit.

Correct, I have just done this for the 1st time.

using the funds towards an up coming holiday 

[Goose]

I think at some point you have to ask your retailer for a cheque or bank deposit.

Correct, I have just done this for the 1st time.

using the funds towards an up coming holiday 

Ask for the a cheque for the amount in credit, plus an adjustment for the interest they earned

[briann532]

I think at some point you have to ask your retailer for a cheque or bank deposit.

Richard

We used to get around $500 - 600 per quarter back from them and it was a lovely cheque in the mail.
They then changed to a direct debit system every quarter, but then they finally moved to a credit only system.
Since I had 2 x accounts with them, 1 for the solar and 1 for my use, I told them that I had changed my payment system to a 5c coin payment only with pick up only and my office was only open on Sundays between 3am and 4am. I then stopped paying the bills and received some nasty letters.
I forwarded the nasty letters with my credit invoice to my local MP and our ombudsman.
Oddly enough in a couple of weeks they had made arrangements to go back to paying me again!!!
They even credited the "overdue" fees on the condition I withdrew my invoice for accounts management after their error. Damn shame as I charge $77 per hour and had a truckload of time invested in it!!!

I'm not sure about other states but here in NSW the feed in Tariff on ALL systems ends at the end of the year.
While I'm sure some authorities will send a letter out, some won't and some customers will be left wondering???
I'm going to have a busy start to the year installing new meters for all those solar systems

Back to the original post and issue. If you run your pumps at night you do save a lot of money, but a lot of councils and neighbours have noise conditions and pool pumps don't meet them.
Its great if your neighbours don't mind, but some do.
Also smart meters are a very grey area.... check the fine print and do the maths. They can actually cost you a lot more if not used properly.
Also had a lot of talk lately about setting up hybrid systems and battery banks, but the price of the technology is a bit too high for the average user at the moment.
Give it a while and it will come down.
Currently I reckon one of the best options is to go for micro inverter systems which are pretty foolproof and a lot easy to manage, maintain and repair as the years go by.
A simple AC charger can then be added later for battery reserves during the night.
It's a very fast moving industry at the moment and it doesn't look like slowing down.

[UIZ733]

Got a quote today from a well known Brisbane Electrical group. $1500.00 to supply and fit the cable and a new outdoor socket. Sparky admitted that it was an easy job due to good access, and new meter box and 'smart meter'.

The quote was given without a blink. Sparky said that on top of that cost, there would be an Energex connection fee that is in the range of; $0.00 to $3000.00 currently (excuse the pun).

Average energex cost for similar jobs to ours in recent times he thinks have been around $800.00.

The cable specified for the job (approx. 12 metres) is solid gold due to its enhanced conductive properties. That is the only explanation I have for the quote OR perhaps he is practicing his routines for a stint at the Paddo Tavern Comedy Club.

Either way, as Daryl would say, "hes dreamin".

[muzza01]

My outlet is 17 meters from pool pump to meter box. Cost is trench dug 600mm deer 17 meters cable, conduit, warning tape, weatherproof GPO, and a CB.

My smart meter was installed by Ergon for free after our solar system was installed.  Don't know why you need a new meter box.

[gronk]

Also smart meters are a very grey area.... check the fine print and do the maths. They can actually cost you a lot more if not used properly.

No grey area with them. If you use most of your power in peak times, it will cost you heaps. Maybe they shouldn't call them smart meters, more that you need to be smart to use them ??

Victoria installed them wholesale without giving people a choice......and there was heaps of complaints.

[briann532]

No grey area with them. If you use most of your power in peak times, it will cost you heaps. Maybe they shouldn't call them smart meters, more that you need to be smart to use them ??

Victoria installed them wholesale without giving people a choice......and there was heaps of complaints.

Not here in Shitney..

I install them regularly. Up to 5 a week at least. I'm a level 2 Service provider.
They are "grey" because a lot of providers don't actually use them. They use digital meters, but not TOU.
<160MW users don't qualify in Endeavour and there are so many catches etc A lot of EA doesn't conform, and the cost of installation outweighs savings etc.
Also a lot of clients have been trying to use the time periods to save money and then discover they don't actually have a "smart" meter.

Now for the real grey area............
Lots of people end up paying more due to their usage times.
Great if you can utilise the non peak periods, but the offset is that the peak rate is huge!!! and if you use the power during it you pay a lot more.
Hence my "check the fine print...."
For instance the savings you make during a billing period can be lost because you operate your AC on a couple of hot days during peak time.

Works for some, not for others. No different to solar.

[UIZ733]

My smart meter was installed by Ergon for free after our solar system was installed.  Don't know why you need a new meter box.

I don't.
The final connection must be made by energex though.

[UIZ733]

This concept has some merit;

http://www.invertekdrives.com/news/post/optidrive-pool.aspx

Purchase and installation costs would need to be 'reasonable' though.

Has anybody done something similar?

[gronk]

I don't know the cost of these units, but for people who can, running the pump in offpeak times will probably be cheaper than investing in one of these ?
It claims to run the pump at reduced speed when only being used normally, but for me, full speed is needed all the time as I have a creepy crawly permanently connected. As always, read the fine print to see if something suits your needs.

[muzza01]

I don't know the cost of these units, but for people who can, running the pump in offpeak times will probably be cheaper than investing in one of these ?
It claims to run the pump at reduced speed when only being used normally, but for me, full speed is needed all the time as I have a creepy crawly permanently connected. As always, read the fine print to see if something suits your needs.

I have a similar pump system on my pool. It is a Viron P300 (it's on YouTube if you want to look)
We have had it for 3 or 4 years now and it reduced output power consumption considerably without any detriment to the pool.
Basically when the pump is turned on it starts normally and slowly backs of pump power once the water has a centrifical flow. Water still flows but reduction in power consumption.

The pump can be set on three different stages, economy, normal and high. During the winter months I have it set on economy, summer on normal. I only run it on high when I have added chemicals or I want the creepy Crawley to do the job quickly.  I use the creepy Crawley about once per month for about 24 hours, most of the time it runs on the "Normal" setting. The creepy Crawley doesn't work very well on the "economy" setting.

 How come you have your creepy Crawley on all of the time?

[gronk]

 How come you have your creepy Crawley on all of the time?

I only have it on when the pump runs !!  The idea of the creepy crawly is to clean the pool, and mine needs cleaning all the time, so it's permanently attached to the inlet.

Mine doesn't run all that well even if the filter is a bit blocked ( cartridge ), so a reduction in flow would cause it to not work at all.

This might be why I need the creepy crawly on all the time !! 

[muzza01]

Gotcha. I think the last time I use mine was just before Xmas, probably put in in over the next week or so.